Blog

World Diabetes Day Summary World Diabetes Day was started in 1991 and falls on 14th November each year. This initiative of the International Diabetes Federation is helping to increase awareness about diabetes and reduce its impact on patients and society as a whole....

Why do I gain weight? Summary As a doctor working to help people who want to lose weight, my initial duty is always to find out why weight gain occurred in the first place. This is one of the most important questions if we really want to resolve the issue. 1. “It’s in...

Obesity and COVID-19 Summary Serious disease is affecting around 20% of persons with COVID-19, and 5% develop complications. But a question that is still under debate is whether obesity is a risk factor for more serious disease or complications. For those of you...

Measuring the body - Part 1: Anthropometry Overview Measurement of body dimensions (weight, height, etc) is called anthropometry. These figures are essential to help us manage diet and lifestyle programmes. We have normal ranges for each parameter, and health indices...

Body Fat Distribution Summary Fat is stored in the body in different compartments. The two main compartments are subcutaneous (under the skin) and visceral or abdominal (around the internal organs). You may also hear the term ectopic fat, which is when fat “overflows”...

Measuring the body – Part 2: Body fat percentage Summary Overweight and obesity are associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. However, research has shown that this risk is caused not so much by the exact weight as by the...

Measuring the body – Part 3: Bioimpedance and body composition analysis Overview Routine anthropometric measurements are central to the assessment of body weight (see here) but they do not give us the whole picture as they cannot tell us how much of that weight is fat...

The Health Risks of Obesity Obesity is a health hazard. It is known to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, liver disease and cancer, among others. These obesity-related diseases can affect quality of life very significantly...

Does metabolically healthy obesity exist? Summary: Since the 1980s there have been numerous reports that some people remain metabolically healthy despite becoming overweight or obese. What is meant by this? A metabolically healthy obese individual is a person with a...

Sarcopenia Summary: Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and function, so there is less muscle and what is there is weak. It used to be seen only in the elderly or after serious illness, but modern lifestyle factors (sedentarism, poor diet) mean it is...